"Did you know that the five taels of silver you just gave out are enough to sustain an ordinary family's livelihood for two or three years. Maybe these taels of silver are not worth mentioning to you, but for many people, they can't earn even if they work hard to support their families. Can you say it’s not important?”
The man in gray robe seemed a little excited when he said this. Perhaps in his view, Shao Xi's effortless giving of the five taels of silver to others was an act of ignorance of other people's sufferings.
Although the money belonged to Shao Xi, he looked heartbroken.
This is not difficult to understand. A person who is struggling to survive will naturally feel a little indignant when he sees others taking the money he has worked so hard to earn completely.
This is just like a farmer who sees someone wasting food. Maybe the bowl of rice thrown away was not grown by him, but he deeply understands that food is hard-earned, and he will naturally feel disdainful of the wasteful behavior.
The man in gray robe was in this mood at this time. It didn't matter whether the five taels of silver belonged to him. He just felt that Shao Xi didn't know how to cherish everything he had now.
Shao Xi naturally understood what he was thinking, but he still spoke out to refute.
"It's important, of course it's important! How can you support your family without money? But do you think the money itself is the most important? I am by no means a sage, and I don't know how to talk.
"I just want to ask you, you gave a beggar on the roadside a penny and asked him to buy five steamed buns or pancakes, enough for him to eat for two meals. What next? He continues to beg. He is still a beggar. Beggar, do you think you helped him?
"No, you just changed him from a hungry beggar to a full beggar, but then he will continue to suffer from hunger. Do you think the penny you gave him is meaningful?
"If you help someone solve their current dilemma, maybe the person being helped will be grateful to you. But when he faces a dilemma again, he will only hope that someone like you will appear again, but will not think about how to solve it himself. The immediate dilemma.
"Just like the five taels of silver I gave away just now, it helped you solve the predicament at hand, and it also helped the soldiers who couldn't pay their wages to solve the predicament at hand.
"But you are likely to encounter the same dilemma in the future. If someone like me didn't show up at that time, would you still have to use your previous methods to solve it?
“Teaching people to fish is worse than teaching them to fish. What matters is not how much you help people, but how you help them. Money is important, but what is more important is how you use money to change the situation of yourself and others.
"If you just make money and eat again and again, and make more money and eat again, wouldn't you live like a pig or a dog? Money should be something that helps you solve your difficulties, and should not let it become your difficulty.
"So I still say the same thing, money is just needed but not important, otherwise you will change from the master of money to the slave of money, from controlling your money to money controlling you."
The man seemed unable to fully digest what Shao Xi said for a while. He looked down at the wine bowl in front of him and kept turning the bowl with his hands, as if he was slowly comprehending the truth of Shao Xi's words.
In fact, what Shao Xi wants him to understand is that although money is important, what is more important is what can you do with the money in your hands? How to make more and more money in your hands? So much that you can use the money to help others solve their problems.
This is the true purpose and value of money!
If it is just to satisfy your own selfish desires, you will become a slave to money and let yourself be controlled by money.
When a person's purpose of living is only for money, then his life becomes worthless, not even as good as a piece of silver in front of him.
Money is just to make a person live better, not to let a person live for money. It is essential in a person's life, but it should not become the most important thing in a person's life.
Many people become blind for money, and they ignore one important thing, that is, there are actually many more important and beautiful things in people's lives than money.
Therefore, Shao Xi has never been greedy for pleasure just because he has wealth in his hands. He has always been thinking of ways to make the wealth in his hands more meaningful.
In addition to using his existing wealth to earn more wealth, he used all the wealth he could not use up to help others.
He understands that the real wealth is not the amount of money in his hands, but the people he helps.
He opened a bookstore in Daliang City, improved printing and papermaking techniques, and solved the reading and writing problems for students all over the world.
He opened schools so that children who were originally poor and homeless could read and study, which changed their future lives.
In Yujiang County, he helped local yarn mills and cloth merchants solve tax problems, and also helped surrounding counties open up sales of mulberry silk.
In this process, he spent a lot of money himself, but also earned a lot of money. The money he earned not only enriched the national treasury, but also allowed him to help more people in the future.
This is the meaning of the wealth in his hands.
Some people may say, if they had as much wealth as Shao Xi, who wouldn't do these things?
But Shao Xi didn't have much money at the beginning. He just knew how to use the money where it should be used.
In Shao Xi's view, his real wealth is the people he has spent a lot of money to help, and these people will bring him more in the future.
So is money important? important! But the most important thing is always how to use the money in your hands.
With the same amount of money, some people can achieve great things with it, while others can only sit back and end up with nothing.
So does money matter? What matters is the people, how they use their money!
The man was silent for a long time, seemingly reading something from Shao Xi's words, with a relieved expression on his face.
Maybe he was once troubled by money, maybe he is troubled by money now, but Shao Xi's words seemed to make him see a new direction, that is, money is not only used for spending, but can also be used for more things. Many things.
People often say that money can communicate with gods, so it depends on which god you use money to communicate with? What can this path of immortality bring to you? Or maybe after you have money, you may become that god yourself.
The man seemed to have understood these truths, so he stood up and cupped his hands towards Shao Xi and said, "I didn't expect that you already understand the truth of this world at such a young age. You are really superficial. I apologize to you for my inappropriate words before."
Shao Xi also quickly stood up and returned the greeting with his hands in hand: "Wherever, different personal circumstances naturally have different opinions on the things in this world. I can't say who is right and who is wrong. I can only say that there is too much helplessness and inability to do one's own. I am also deeply aware of it." I feel that I haven’t asked you your surname yet?”
"I, Sun Poyun, have been traveling inside and outside the Jade Dragon Pass. What I am doing is offering rewards. Because I use a knife, my friends in the world gave me the nickname 'Poyun Sword'. I haven't asked you yet."
"Your Excellency, Shao Xi, I don't have a nickname because I don't often travel around the world. Brother Sun, just call me by my first name."
Sun Poyun picked up the wine jar on the table and filled up the wine for the two of them. He picked up the wine bowl and saluted Shao Xi: "Thank you, Mr. Shao, for rescuing me today. I respect this bowl to Mr. Shao."
Shao Xi picked up the wine bowl and touched it with Sun Poyun. The two drank each other, raised their hands to make way for each other, and then both sat down.
Shao Xi pointed to the woman sitting next to Sun Poyun with some curiosity, and asked: "Brother Sun is on this trip to find someone who was entrusted by someone?"
Before Sun Poyun could reply, the woman spoke first: "How can I ask him to find me? I came to the Central Plains to visit the mountains and rivers and see the great mountains and rivers of the Jingyuan Dynasty.
"How did I know that he had just passed the Jade Dragon Pass and he caught me. He insisted on taking me home by force. As a result, my trip was in vain. He actually got a chain to lock me up."
Although this woman speaks Chinese fluently, she has a strong Western accent, but her voice is clear and beautiful. If she sings a song, it must be melodious and melodious, which is intoxicating.
Shao Xi didn't expect that the woman would take the initiative to speak, but he was confused by what the woman said and turned to look at Sun Poyun.
At this time, Sun Poyun also looked embarrassed and explained to Shao Xi: "This girl's name is Aria and she is from Wuhai. I was entrusted by her father to find her who ran away from home and send her back to Wuhai." Sea country.
"His father is a wealthy businessman from the Wuhai Kingdom. He was worried that his daughter would be in danger if she ran to the Central Plains alone, so he issued a reward notice and asked people to go to the Central Plains to find her daughter. I took over the business. Only then returned to the Central Plains from Wuhai Kingdom.
"Unexpectedly, I found her just after passing Yulong Pass. The girl didn't want to go back with me. In desperation, I had to lock her feet up to prevent her from escaping again. After all, the reward for this trip was quite large. , I don’t want to miss the opportunity, it’s really a helpless move.”
Unexpectedly, as soon as he finished speaking, Aria rushed to the side and said: "I didn't say I wouldn't go back, I just wanted to go to the Central Plains to have a look. I've heard since I was a child that the Central Plains is picturesque and has a lot of delicious food. What’s wrong with me wanting to see something?
"My Atta always treats me as a child and always wants to tie me to him. I am seventeen years old and have never left Wuhai Kingdom. Could it be that the canary in the cage wants to fly to Is the sky also at fault?”
Sun Poyun was so speechless by Aria that he didn't know how to reply, so he could only shake his head helplessly.
Shao Xi at the side finally understood what was going on. After working for a long time, Sun Poyun helped Aria's father bring his daughter back.
However, shackling his feet was indeed a bit excessive. No wonder the group of soldiers just now mistakenly thought that Sun Poyun was a human trafficker.
Hearing that Aria was from the Wuhai Kingdom and that Sun Poyun was also going to take Aria back to the Wuhai Kingdom this time, Shao Xi became interested and raised his hand to wave to Sun Lichang.
When Sun Lichang saw Shao Xi's call, he quickly got up and walked over. Since he was already at Yulong Pass and was about to leave the Central Plains, Sun Lichang's name for Shao Xi also changed.
"I wonder what Mr. Shao's orders are?"
"Shopkeeper Sun, are we going to Wuhai Kingdom this time?"
"Exactly, the caravan's destination this time is Wuhai Country."
"So, can we take both of them with us on this trip?"
"It all depends on the master's arrangement."
